Archives for June 2018

“Five hundred days, Five hundred days …” I hear Mary Travers singing that to the tune of Five Hundred Miles the old Peter, Paul, and Mary classic. Ah me.

So many realizations people. They are coming to fruition – or not.

Remember when everyone laughed at sealed indictments? Well, now they’re all the rage. Can’t convict a sitting president and all that? How about the second he’s no longer prez?

Remember when we thought the whole Russia involvement was overblown? Not anymore. There is so much compelling evidence and testimony from credible sources. James Clapper and his book being the latest.

Oh, btw, the Russians are gearing up for this election. What have we done? Nothing.

And it turns out the Koreans of the North are the best hackers in the world. Their teams came in first, second, and third at a global competition. So what if the rest of their country doesn’t have internet? The guy who masterminded that, and the bombing of S. Korean islands, and the break-in at Sony was just in the Oval Office being pals with the orange one. No, he’s not allowed in this country. He’s sanctioned, multiple times. So what? You got a problem with that?

I heard an interesting analysis of Trump voters and why they are sticking with Trump. They think he must have a secret plan. That he knows something they don’t know. It’s kind of a twist on the “well, he’s a businessman” gambit. He’s not a businessman. He’s a con artist, a huckster, and a shyster who was the head of a web of family run businesses. The only real company he ran went bankrupt. But the believers believe! He must know something, they say. I don’t know what it will take for them to wake up and smell the coffee. (as an old pal of mine used to say.) Will it be the increased cost of health care? You know like a few hundred percent, or a thousand? Will it be the continued revelations of people in this administration ripping off the government, lining their own pockets, and not doing their job?

It’s hard to say if ever it will happen.

Fear is a terrible thing. I used to have an example, it went like this, “What if I offered you a Porsche for one dollar, would you take it?” Most didn’t say yes; most asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

The question isn’t what’s wrong with it, but what’s wrong with you?

We need to sign up as many as possible to vote. Ask anyone you can, “Are you registered to vote?”

Well, we know the other word that Samantha Bee used, and she is that, at least physically. We can debate the pejorative meaning, I guess. You know, like the way Ted Nugent has used it repeatedly when describing Hillary Clinton. Oh yes, the outrage from the right then! The reprimands. The distancing. What? It didn’t happen? Say it ain’t true! What, it was more nod-nod wink-wink? Like the time the insurance adjuster from Texas told me don’t “re-nig” on electing Obama to a second term? And then was ready to explain it to me in case I didn’t understand – that kind of reaction to Nugent by the erstwhile Trump supporters? Yeah. I’d say that was the case. The old nod-nod wink-wink. Now that one of their own has been called out they are outraged?
Wait. Maybe they didn’t get it. Should I explain? Should I ask if Samantha Bee should have gone more Ted Nugent in her description? You know, called her a whore? Or something more pejorative?

Feckless is a big word, would “useless” have been better?
Ivanka Trump is part of the administration. She has influence over her dad. One of the few people who does. Trump has instituted a policy of ripping children out of the arms of parents. They might be crossing the border legally or illegally. They might be seeking asylum – legally. His policy sees no difference. Yet, here is pretty little Ivanka putting a picture of her head to head with a little baby? How callous can you be? I mean if that ain’t Marie Antoinette “Let them eat cake” moment, I don’t know what is. At least Ms. Antoinette never said what is ascribed to her. (I assume the baby was Ivanka’s and not a Paul Ryan dirty dishes type stage prop. Someone check that out.)

This brings me to the nature of prejudice, and what is discrimination. Prejudice is what you think; discrimination is what you do. It’s okay to do both. Yes, you read that right. It’s okay to do both. It’s just what you apply it to that can be the problem. You can have “discriminating taste.” Maybe, you like a certain kind of food or drink better than another, or a particular brand. That can be described as having discriminating taste. The term discriminating taste can be applied to entertainment. Typically, the more high brow, the more it is thought to be discriminating. Or, perhaps a better way to say it is the more the term is used in describing what a person is doing when it is high brow stuff.

Prejudice is a dislike for something, someone, or some collective group. Legally, it’s okay to be prejudiced against anything or anyone or any group because you do not go to jail for what you think. You do get in trouble for putting certain prejudices into action. That is called discrimination.

We went to the new Contemporary Art Museum at Richmond’s VCU campus. They had a display of Klan robes and Klan paraphernalia. The Klan robes were multi-colored reproductions of such robes; the cases of artifacts were the real deal. There were books, pamphlets, ID cards, song sheets, rally posters, photographs and other items: either promoting the Klan and its rules, or trying to make the case that the negro was inferior. It’s disturbing stuff, but it wasn’t that long ago.

Fred Trump, Donald’s father, was arrested at a Klan parade in New York City. The law striking down discrimination against people of color happened in my lifetime. I contend that the current aim of the Trump administration and the far-right is to overturn that ruling, and there is plenty of evidence to support that conjecture. Not the least of which is many of the nominees being put up for Federal judgeships will not answer the question was that decision properly decided.

Prejudice and discrimination go hand in hand and there are interesting exceptions and changes of heart in regards to this. There are only two proven tested verified ways to reduce prejudice and hence a person’s willingness to discriminate based on prejudice. Maybe only one.
If you put people together who are prejudiced toward each other in an equal status setting, like a job situation. Their level of prejudice will go down. It may only be against that person however. Why is that? Well, the nature of prejudice is such that there can be antipathy toward a whole group (e.g. “I hate XYZ people.”) but an exception can be made for someone of that group that they know (e.g. “But Joe’s okay. He’s not like the rest of them.’) This can be caused by their actually knowing the person, and or by a person seemingly to share the same values. (Hence the comment on Joe in the aforementioned example: “He’s not like the rest of them.”)

There is also an interesting dynamic of cultural or nationalistic prejudice (and hatred or love) for a particular group, be they a race, nation, or group. A good example of nationalistic change of heart is in regards to U.S. citizens toward the Japanese. Before WWII the Japanese were thought of as they were portrayed in Madame Butterfly: clean, exotic, graceful. During World War II they were portrayed as the Yellow Peril: filthy, sub-human, little people. After WWII they once again became the clean, hardworking Japanese.

In a similar way scientists have gone through a variety of characterizations. Either they are Doctor Frankenstein out to create a monster or they are the tireless drones in clean white lab coats trying to save the world. Big scientific impacts greatly change the perception by the general populace. None was bigger that the detonation of the atomic bomb. Overnight scientists went from good hard working folks for the benefit of mankind to the evil Dr. Frankenstein out to destroy the world.

Another characteristic of prejudice is the use of selective example and ignoring those that don’t fit your belief system. We’ve seen that at work recently. The black man who saved so many during The Waffle House shooting, haven’t heard any praise for him from the right, Trump, or Ivanka.

Well, there you have it. Trump is accused of rape on multiple occasions. Ivanka is useless, worthless, incompetent, and inept. I mean, what has she done since being in the administration? Oh that’s right, got a deal with the Chinese for her brands to be marketed.

That brings me to Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator who is working tirelessly on behalf of the oil and gas industry and his Oklahoma pals trying to tear down as many regulations as possible to allow the rape of our natural resources. The latest is that he gave folks pens. Okay, big deal you say? The pens cost $1560.00. That’s a lot of pen! Oh, correction: it was 12 pens for a total of $1560.00 or only $130.00 each. I, as a taxpayer, feel much better.

Pruitt, like Trump, has no regard for the people he is supposed to be serving. That is the American people, all the people. He does have regard for the cabal of oil and gas buds, and for his pack of cronies from Oklahoma.

Then there is – also in the nature of prejudice and discrimination – the pointing of fingers in a “well they do it too!” method of trying to justify their actions. Typically, as has been pointed out in the S. Bee vs R. Barr case one was right on the money correct and the other was a racist unjustified comment, now being peddled as a “bad joke.” And they, here’s the part that always cracks me up, the “poor me” defense. Poor Scott Pruitt he just ordered the pens and other knick knacks from two of Washington’s premier jewelers. “What’s a fella to do? Go to Office Max to get a pen?” Poor Scott, Poor Roseanne, dirty filthy Samantha Bee, good pure Ivanka, Go Eagles!

The Blue Wave is Coming.
Medicaid Expansion in Virginia helps 400,000.
Yup, a year ago – no dice.
Then an off year election and tah-da!
A big change in voting.
Quiz time: Below is a picture of the incumbents that beat out the Republicans in office.
Take a look. See if you can figure out what’s different.
They are Democrats, yes. Sometimes they ran without help of the Democratic Party.
I’m tired of the Democratic Party. I back candidates for progress.
They are called Progressives. Or Progressive Democrats.
The Republican Party is now the party of Trump, which is now a fascist, mob type operation.
There are still a few of the old Republicans left. You know the spineless, lackluster, chicken shit kind.
They are being replaced by toady lap dogs.

I don’t know about you but I like the folks who voted for a bill to help the poor, brought back $400,000,000.00 by so doing, which helped balance the state’s budget.

In other news please don’t use the word “Rape” and “Trump” in the same sentence. If you do Michael Cohen may come after you and it will be disgusting. This according to an audio tape where we can here Mr. Cohen’s legal style in full voice. So, please, don’t write things like:
“In his divorce trial from his first wife Donald Trump was accused of rape.”
Or
“Could it possibly be true that Donald Trump raped a thirteen year old girl at the sex parties of Jeffery Epstein, convicted child predator?”
Or
“Trump, Rape, Trump, Rape, TrumpRape sounds kind of like Watergate, don’t you think?”

Please, unless you want to get your own recording of Michael Cohen screaming in the phone at you, don’t write any of the above.

1,079 Days to Go

PS Pictured are the incumbents in the off year Virginia election and the people they replaced. Also, the vote last year on Medicaid expansion in Virginia and this year. The most surprising thing about the vote this year is that some Republicans actually crossed over to help their constituents.